eNewsAutoCar.com

NEW YORK, April 9, 2009 - /eNewsAutoCar/ - The worl
d will have the opportunity to peer into Hyun
dai’s future when the Nuvis concept makes its worl
d
debut at the 2009 New York Auto Show.

The Nuvis is the eleventh si
gnature concept car to be
desi
gne
d at the company’s
California
Desi
gn
Center in
Irvine, Calif. In a
d
dition to showcasin
g the bran
d’s cuttin
g-e
d
ge capabilities, Nuvis also hints at a possible
desi
gn
direction for a future-
generation crossover, blen
din
g attributes of a tall urban car an
d a premium utility vehicle. 

Consistent with Hyun
dai’s ple
d
ge to lea
d all bran
ds in
U.S. fuel economy by 2015, Nuvis is powere
d by Hyun
dai’s

architecture, which uses breakthrou
gh lithium polymer battery technolo
gy. 

EVOLUTION OF THE DESIGN

In
developin
g the initial sketches, Hyun
dai
desi
gners consi
dere
d the interplay of natural, flui
d elements with more ri
gi
d surfaces an
d structures to create the illusion of constant motion. Specifically,
desi
gners stu
die
d the way water splits across an
d flows aroun
d the hull an
d si
des of a boat, creatin
g a wake, or the way win
d shapes a snow
drift or flurries throu
gh trees. The livin
g power of these elements is reflecte
d in the Nuvis’
desi
gn.

“Our
goal was to create a livin
g machine, constantly movin
g, that the
driver an
d passen
gers coul
d be part of,” sai
d John Krsteski, Hyun
dai Desi
gn mana
ger. “There are no lines on or in this car that are stan
din
g still.”

In a
d
dition to invokin
g the impression of irrepressible motion, the Hyun
dai
desi
gn team took more practical matters into account as well.  Nuvis is
desi
gne
d to accommodate the
diverse interests of a mo
dern, active couple. The Nuvis is meant to be comfortable startin
g its
day at a
desert retreat, arrivin
g at the ski slopes in the afternoon an
d then cruisin
g to a formal
dinner that evenin
g.

The design team sought to create a vehicle that would complement its environment, without making a negative impact. The versatility of the vehicle’s design, combined with Hyundai’s

technology, accomplishes exactly this.

EXTERIOR DESIGN

The Nuvis has an assertive face demonstrated by the strong, hour-glass shape that frames the blue acrylic shiel
d
grille an
d a
g
gressive hea
dlamps, whose two
glowin
g white rin
gs are offset by a pair of re
d rin
gs on the tail li
ghts.

Perche
d on top of 22-inch wheels, Nuvis’ proportions are tall, stron
g an
d protective. The two bo
dy-si
de lines set up a flowin
g water effect,
givin
g the appearance of motion.

In a
d
dition to the
dynamic an
gles an
d firm stance, the Nuvis boasts a host of unique exterior elements.

“One of the coolest attributes of Nuvis is that the protective roof appears to float on top of the bo
dy throu
gh the use of hi
d
den pillars an
d hi
gh-contrast
glass,” sai
d An
dre Hu
dson, Hyun
dai senior
desi
gner. “This effect starts at the hea
dlamps an
d is carrie
d all the way throu
gh to the tailli
ghts pro
ducin
g a tall, stron
g bo
dy-si
de an
d rear.”

Large, gull-wing doors, either opened or closed, create unique front, rear and profile views. Blue ambient lighting cast across the body adds to the overall upscale feel of the vehicle.

An a
d
ditional
desi
gn element feature
d on the Nuvis is a brushe
d aluminum accent that spans the entire len
gth of the vehicle. Normally, this type of trim is only foun
d aroun
d the win
dows. On the Nuvis, this trim exten
ds out from the hea
dlamps, juts up alon
g the hoo
d an
d throu
gh the beltline, across the top an
d into the rear spoiler

INTERIOR DESIGN

In keeping with the exterior design scheme, the Nuvis’ spacious and luxurious interior is dominated by a cool, blue acrylic center stack that ebbs and surges in the manner of a river. The cascading floor, with its blue ambient lighting, further enhances an environment in which seamless technology flows, enveloping both the driver and passengers.

A current of information comin
g from the instrument panel streams throu
ghout the cockpit, as passen
gers are able to access each other via Metho
de Electronics TouchSense® technolo
gy that links all four business-class seats. The car’s infotainment system is fe
d by channels from the outsi
de – the occupants, for instance, can learn of a restaurant’s specials that evenin
g as they
drive past it.

The sculpture
d, comfortable seats are custom woven with a
gra
duate
d fabric that is finishe
d in a silver-to-black sunburst. The ecolo
gically frien
dly seatin
g fabric is provi
de
d by True Textiles, the in
dustry’s lea
din
g provi
der of environmentally responsible textile solutions. The Nuvis fabric is ma
de from 100 percent post-consumer recycle
d polyester – reclaime
d so
da bottles – an
d increasingly sustainable manufacturin
g processes. Hyundai collaborated with True Creative to produce this unique fabric with an 80-inch repeat, provi
din
g a fabric that is as attractive to the environment as it is to the viewer. The matchin
g seatbelts are provi
de
d by Harveys Ori
ginal Seatbeltba
gs, a well- known manufacturer of han
dba
gs ma
de out of seatbelt.
Harveys also developed two matchin
g han
dba
gs for the Nuvis concept.

In the rear, a hi
gh trunk floor houses the Nuvis’ lithium polymer battery pack.

HYUNDAI’S

ARCHITECTURE

Hyun
dai’s all-new, home
grown

architecture helps
define the Nuvis concept. Hyun
dai’s proprietary parallel hybri
d
drive system mates the alrea
dy-fuel efficient 2.4-liter Theta II en
gine to a 6-spee
d automatic transmission an
d a 30kW (205 N-m) electric motor for maximum fuel economy.

Hybrid

has an all-electric mo
de an
d a parallel
drive mode, meaning that the wheels are turne
d by power comin
g
directly from the
gasoline en
gine, or the electric motor, or both to
gether, as con
ditions
deman
d. This parallel hybri
d
drive architecture will serve as the foun
dation for future Hyundai hybrid
drive vehicles, starting with the next-
generation Sonata in the
Unite
d States.

To maximize fuel economy, all of the Theta II’s major
driveline an
d coolin
g system components have been optimize
d to re
duce friction, while the crankcase has been fille
d with low friction oil.

Engine mana
gement software automatically shuts off the en
gine when the vehicle comes to a halt, cuttin
g emissions to zero. The engine automatically restarts when pressure is reapplie
d to the accelerator pedal due to the Inte
grate
d Starter Generator (ISG).

To further reduce fuel consumption, the Theta II’s en
gine mana
gement software, which governs injection pressure, en
gine cycle timin
g an
d exhaust retreatment rates, has been revised. This control strate
gy assures that maximum efficiency is achieve
d
durin
g
gentle acceleration, while greater power is imme
diately available
durin
g full acceleration.

During
deceleration, regenerative braking also comes into play to help conserve energy.

To ensure that the engine runs at lower RPMs, the top three
gear ratios in the transmission have been extended. Fuel economy is further optimized through the latest electric motor-assiste
d steerin
g system which reduces power drain and low resistance tires.

The nine major components of Hyun
dai’s

inclu
de:

1. An efficient 30kW electric motor,
   deliverin
   g 205 N-m of torque
2. A re
   generative brakin
   g system
3. An inte
   grate
   d starter
   generator that enables the en
   gine to turn off at stops an
   d restart automatically un
   der acceleration
4. A breakthrou
   gh lithium polymer battery packa
   ge, with 5.3 Ah of capacity at 270 volts
5. Optimized Theta II 2.4-liter en
   gine
6. 6-spee
   d automatic transmission with an improved-efficiency electric oil pump
7. Weight-efficient architecture couple
   d with a low
   dra
   g coefficient
8. Electric air con
   ditionin
   g compressor
9. Hybri
   d power control unit

LITHIUM POLYMER
BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

Hyun
dai’s hybri
d system stores its electrical char
ge in a 270V lithium polymer rechar
geable battery (5.3Ah/270V) that surpasses both existing nickel-metal hy
dri
de an
d pen
din
g lithium-ion applications. Lithium polymer batteries are more
durable an
d space-efficient than other, bulkier hybri
d batteries.

HYUNDAI ASSURANCE

Hyun
dai Assurance allows consumers to walk away from a financin
g obli
gation when certain a
dverse life events occur, provi
din
g protection from financial shortfalls that arise from vehicle
depreciation (ne
gative equity) up to $7,500. For a limite
d time, Hyun
dai is also offerin
g Hyun
dai Assurance Plus, a
d
din
g 90
days of payment relief to the existin
g protection plan. Hyun
dai Assurance Plus is part of Hyun
dai’s Sprin
g Sales Event, which runs until April 30, 2009. Hyun
dai Assurance an
d Hyun
dai Assurance Plus are complimentary for the first 12 months of the financin
g or lease
date for vehicles finance
d throu
gh any len
der or financin
g source. The pro
grams supplement all existin
g consumer incentives, an
d are available to any consumer, re
gar
dless of a
ge, health, employment history or finance
d amount of the vehicle. Visit www.HyundaiUSA.com for details.

HYUNDAI MOTOR
AMERICA

Hyun
dai Motor America, hea
dquartere
d in
Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsi
diary of Hyun
dai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyun
dai vehicles are
distribute
d throu
ghout the
Unite
d States by Hyun
dai Motor America an
d are sol
d an
d service
d throu
gh more than 790
dealerships nationwi
de.